Improvement in circular hat-weaving looms



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lmprovem'entn Circular Hat Weaving Looms. No, 124,288,Patenfedmarchwsvz.

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Improvement in -Circular Hotv Weaving Looms.

l u N0,124,288 Patented March 5.1872.

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J. V. D. REED. sshees-shef-af Improvement in Circular Hat Weaving L-oms.Y N0,1 24,288 Patented March ,1872.

Widmann: C) O je@ o fm m @LA W' www) -V gtturuzgab .l2/LESS STATESPATENT JOHN VAN DUSSEN REED,^OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,288, dated March 5,1872.

Specification describing anew and useful Improvement in Hat-Looms,invented by JOHN van DUssEN REED, of the city of New York, in the countyand State of New York.

The invention consists in combining a snitable let-out mechanism witheach warp-carrier, which has a large iiat spool carrying a considerablelength of yarn. The spool above mentioned carrying the warp-yarn isfitted to rotate freely in guides on the warp-carrier, and so that itcan be readily removed and replaced when exhausted. The yarn is led fromthe spool to the let-out7 mechanism, and through a spring to a hole orguide at the front of the carrier, and thence to th'e center of the loomwhere all the warp-strands are connected to the cord, by which the saidwarp-strands are drawn down taut when the loo`m is putin work. Theletout77 mechanism consists of a double acting spring-pawl' gearing withthe teeth of a ratchet-wheel, around which the warp-thread is carried,so as to be held firmly thereby and let out in a regular manner by therotation of the wheel, which moves to the extent of one tooth only ateach oscillation of the doublelactingpawl-lever, which is actuated by alifting-roller mounted on an arm carried on the shuttle-carriage. Theratchet-wheel is carried on a pivot fixed to a sliding piece working ina slot in the warpcarrier, and moved by a lever, also pivoted to thecarrier, by which the let-out mechanism may be thrown out of gear whenit is necessary to let out a considerable length of warp at once, as forcommencing another hat, when all the warp-threads have to be gatheredinto the center, as mentioned below. This lever may be operated directlyby hand, or indirectly by adevice mounted on an arm iixed to theshuttle-carriage, and working in a somewhat similar manner to thelifting-roller above referred to. After a hat has been woven, the letoutmechanism is thrown ont of gear, as above mentioned, and the woven hatis drawn down through the cup of the loom, which is bottomlcss, by whichaction the warp-strands are drawn out or unwound from their spools. Theyare then gathered together in the center ofthe loom, and held by asuitable device just above the hat already woven, and the let-outmechanism, having been again put in gear, the loom is ready to startagain to weave another hat, and

so on continuously until the spools in the warpcarriers are exhausted.

The cord heretofore used in the circular-hat machines to draw down thewarp is attached to the above-mentioned device, which binds thewarp-strands together at the center of the loom to draw down the hat asthe weavingprogresses; and heretofore the warps, as far as I am aware,have been used in short lengths.

Figure l is a side elevation ofthe warp-carrier with the parts incombination. Fig. 2 is a plan or edge view of the same; and Fig. 3, aside elevation, showing a modified arrangement of devices for connectingand disconnecting the ratchet-wheel with the let-off lever. Figs. 4 and5 are details of the said apparatus; and Fig. 6 is a sectional elevationof one-half of a circular hat-knitting loom, for which my improvement isdesigned.

The saine letters of reference indicate the same parts in all theiigures wherever they recur.

Referring rst to Fig. 6, which represents so much ot' the machine, forwhich the improve ment is intended, as is necessary to illustrate itsapplication, A is the bed-plate of the machine; B, standards forsupporting the upper frame and the stationary ring-plate C. E is thestationary ring for supporting the lower stationary mechanism, and isiitted to the bed-plateA, near the center ot' the loom, in the form of acylinder, as a guide orbase for another cylinder, F, to revolve aroundit. This ring supports a ring, F2, which revolves and carries theshuttlecarriage, Ste., while the stationary ring E supports thestationaryring E2, on which the lower plates or grinders al for thewarp-carriers are mounted, while the upper plates a2 are supported onthe ring G. The said warp-carriers are worked back and forth from oneset to the other of these plates for forming the studs bythe groovesformed by the annulaibends or rings D2, forming the principal part ofthe shuttlecarriage, which is carried by the rln g F2, said carriershaving aproj ection, a, working in the said grooves. e, d3, g3, and 7a4constitute the shuttie-carrier. G is the bracket, attached to theannular rings for supporting a-nd carrying the shuttle-carrier, and Jrepresents the wheel for operating the let-oi levers g. a., Fig. l, isthe warpcarrier, and b is a spool of large dimen sions, held in guides cxed on the carrler a. These guides are made with iianges, which arereceived between the two disks of which the spool b is composed, asshown in Fig. 2. TheY spool is simply slipped between the guides, andrests on a stop or small friction-roller, d. Z is the ratchet-wheel ofthe let-out mechanism. It is carried on a pin fixed to a slide, f,grooved and fitted in a slot in the carrier, and the rotation of thewheel is controlled by a double-acting sp1-in g-pawl, g, 4pivoted at 7Lto the carrier, and one or other tooth of which is always in gear wit-l1wheel e. i' is a yoke, in which the tail end of the pawl works, andj isits spring. \Vhen the lifting-roller77 J, Fig. 6, passes under thecarrier it raises or oscillates the pawl g, and, therefore, fulfils thesame function in the case as in the aforesaid machine-namely, to let outthe warpwhich is effected by the rotation of the ratchet-wheel e, whichis released and moved, and lets out the warp to the extent of one toothat each oscillation of pawllever g. The warp-thread is shown in dottedlines in Fig. 6, and full lines in the other figures. It is led from thebobbin or spool b completely around wheel e,- thence through a spring,k, to a hole, k1, in the end ofthe carrier, whence it is taken to thecenter of the loom. The deection of spring k serves to compensate forthe shortening by corrugation of the warp in weavin g. lis a lever,pivoted at its extremity to the carrier. This pivoted end is made of theangular form shown, and works in a corresponding angular recess made ina plate, m, fastened to the slide f. By moving the lever l to theposition shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, the wheel e will be drawn backout of gear with its pawl g, thereby permittin g any desired quantity ofwarp to be drawn freely off the bobbin. The wheel e is grooved toreceive the warp-thread, and one edge only of its periphery is serrated,the othY er being plain. The object of making lever l angular at itspivoted extremity is to prevent it being shifted by the tension of thewarp on the ratchet-wheel e. Vhen the lever Z projects above thecarrier, as shown in Fig. l, it must be moved or oscillated as requiredby hand; but the let-out mechanism may be arranged as shown in Fig. 3,in which case a device, shown in Fig. 5, may be employed to shift thelever Z. It consists of a grooved guide, n, jointed to the end of a rod,o, carried by the same or a similar bracket on the shuttle-carriage tothat which supports the lifting-roller. rlhis guide runs round the loomin advance or in rear of the liftin g-roller, and is pivoted at itsforward end to rod o, which is bent, as shown, Fig. 3, and the saidguide is capable of being readily shifted to either position shown bymeans of a lever,

p, and sliding rod p operated by hand. The dotted lines show the secondposition of the ends of levers l, which are shifted from one po sitionto the other by the guide in its passage,

y as shown by said dotted lines.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to securebyLetters Patent- In a loom for weavin g hats, the combination, with thecarrier a and spool b, of the improved let-out mechanism, arranged andoperating substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in thedrawing.

rlhe above specification of my invention signed by me this 18th day ofAugust, 1871.

JOHN VAN DUSSEN REED.

Witnesses:

W. CLARK,

53 Chancery Laue, London. J As. O. DEWEY,

53 Chancery Lane, Loudon.

